Features

Citizens Broadband Radio Service (CBRS) spectrum represents a major opportunity for utilities, oil and gas companies, and other entities that operate mission-critical communications networks. Recent initiatives that call for grid modernization and digitization are driving critical infrastructure industries (CII) to move beyond their legacy narrowband communications and advance to private broadband solutions.

Hytera America and Hytera America (West) are seeking Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, citing ongoing lawsuits brought by Motorola Solutions and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. In a statement, the company said that it plans to use the Chapter 11 restructuring process to address the issues caused by those two events.

SAFECOM released a 2020 strategic plan that outlines 38 priorities that the public-safety communications support organization plans to accomplish this year. The priorities fall under seven committees and task forces that address issues from governance to technology policy to the Project 25 (P25) Compliance Assessment Program (CAP).

CTIA officials discussed generally the most recent 9-1-1 Location Technologies Test Bed testing of 9-1-1 vertical (Z-axis) location technologies, Stage Za, in an FCC filing, but the full report is unavailable to the public.

The FCC moved forward with sweeping changes in the 900 MHz band, making 6 megahertz of low-band spectrum available for the development of critical wireless broadband technologies and services through a process of realigning the band by moving incumbent narrowband users to different 900 MHz spectrum.

The world around us — both globally and locally — changed dramatically a few months ago when the COVID-19 pandemic began to hit country after country. Many things have changed, among them numerous cancellations and job losses, but one positive is the continuing innovation in the mission-critical communications industry

Florida’s 2020 – 2021 General Appropriations Act would direct the Florida Department of Management Services (DMS) to renew its contract with L3Harris Technologies for the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System (SLERS).

Indiana’s Integrated Public Safety Commission (IPSC) has connected its statewide Project 25 (P25) 700/800 MHz network core to AT&T’s Enhanced Push-to-Talk (EPTT) platform using the P25 Inter RF Subsystem Interface (ISSI), in the first such implementation in the nation. The EPTT platform is used by Indiana’s First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) users.

An Indiana school district found itself open to security vulnerabilities because of a number of outdated and disparate communications networks. A move to a more integrated communications system has helped the district improve its security and situational awareness.

Numerous mission-critical applications are helping contribute to the response to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Both Project 25 (P25) and LTE devices are hosting the public-safety apps. The Montgomery County Hospital District (MCHD) in Texas is using L3Harris radios with P25 and LTE access to remotely assess COVID-19 patients. MCHD created a telehealth solution for the XL-200P dual-mode P25/LTE radios and iPads that use telehealth software called Pulsara.

Law enforcement officials from around the country emphasized the importance of strong social distancing policies in keeping law enforcement officers healthy and on duty amid the COVID-19 pandemic, during a March 27 webinar hosted by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and FirstNet, built with AT&T.

U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Bruce Crawford recently addressed public television station managers to share his vison about the future of the Army’s information and communications technology needs. He spoke about leveraging existing infrastructure and capabilities to improve information sharing, resiliency and readiness for the Army. He acknowledged that the commercial sector is developing and deploying advanced technology that the Army can use to effectively meet these needs. Crawford said that taking advantage of these developments, rather than creating everything internally, can speed deployments and better equip and inform our troops.

Direct mode, also called device-to-device (D2D) communications — or more precisely, the lack of it — is seen to be one of the main risks in moving from narrowband professional mobile radio (PMR) technologies exclusively to broadband Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP)-based solutions. However, at times, the root cause is lost in the discussion.

As the coronavirus continues to wreak havoc in the United States and other countries globally, mission-critical communications organizations are changing how they work to address the resulting COVID-19 disease.